On May 5, 2026, LegalPlace formalized the acquisition of Legalstartits historic competitor, following a fundraising 70 million euros. The two best-known names in French legaltech now only form a group which claims almost a company creation out of five in France and aims, ultimately, for one in three. Behind the financial operation, very concrete questions arise for those who want to get started. Can you really create and manage your business without ever entering the door of a law or accounting firm?
The promise of these platforms is contained in one sentence. Entrust the paperwork to an online service and save your energy for your job. Statutes, capital deposit, professional account, domiciliation, accounting and declarations are carried out online, in a few minutes and for a few hundred euros. It remains to distinguish what these tools actually carry out for you from what is still the responsibility, by law, of the legal professional.
What legaltech can do for you
The journey almost always begins with a questionnaire followed by a call to an advisor from one of these two platforms. In a few clicks, the entrepreneur chooses his legal form, generates his standard statutes, deposits his capital and opens a professional account without leaving his office. At Legalstart, Timothée Rambaud, co-founder in the process of leaving the group after the takeover, summarizes the house logic. “ Leave the boring, complex and stressful things to us, and focus on your business. »
The argument also has to do with the price. At the house of Legalstartthe creation of a company requires a formula around 100 euroswhen using a lawyer can cost several times more. Online accounting, billed approximately 100 euros per monthor close to 1,200 euros per yearincludes the application, assistance and annual review, where a traditional firm is more around 2,000 euros. These amounts exclude mandatory legal fees, namely the registry, legal notification and capital deposit.
Beyond the price, these platforms rely on human support and automation. An internal survey also places this support ahead of price among the reasons for membership. Alerts indicate the crossing of VAT thresholdsthe approach of a deadline or a suspicious letter, and the same dashboard, links professional accounts and accounting.
Where the lawyer and the notary remain essential
The border is legal before being technical. There law of December 31, 1971 reserves legal consultation and the drafting of documents for others to lawyers and a few regulated professions, including notaries and accountants. A legaltech deliverslegal information generic, not personalized advice on your situation. Timothée Rambaud admits this bluntly. “Legalstart is not a law firm. We do not provide legal advice, we provide legal information. »
The nuance changes everything as soon as the project leaves the standard framework. Choose between a SCI and one Family SARL for a real estate purchase, write a partners agreement tailor-made, mount a holding or securing a sensitive clause requires a personalized and engaging analysis. The authentic real estate deed remains the prerogative of notary. On these heritage arrangements, the savings made during creation can pay dearly later if the structure is poorly thought out.
There remains the question of responsibility. A lawyer commits his own and his insurance to the advice provided, which a platform does not do in the same way. For a micro-enterprisean SAS or a classic SARL, legaltech today ticks most of the boxes at a lower cost. As soon as the issue becomes patrimonial, tax or conflictual, the legal professional once again becomes an investment rather than an expense. The right reading grid does not oppose the two worlds, it consists of knowing which one to mobilize, and when. As recalled by Gilles Bösiger, president of the Order of Chartered Accountants of Paris Île de France “Technical knowledge becomes a commodity accessible to all. The accountant remains the guarantor of the quality of the information. “.
Article for information purposes. It does not constitute personalized legal, tax or property advice.
